There's a lot to like about Gaetan's Soi 38 Sukhumvit apartment, the location for a start is excellent, described in the listing as being 150 meters from the BTS doesn’t seem quite right though, it's more like 100 meters, or less, right at the beginning of the Soi but far enough back from Sukhumvit Road to avoid the traffic noise.
Soi 38 used to be famous for the quality and variety of street food available, that's no longer the case with all the food carts being cleared off the streets and a small food court now operating next to the start of the Soi, it's nothing special but it is handy if you want something fast to eat one night during your stay.
Another thing to like about the apartment is the size, while you would never describe it as huge, it is slightly larger than a lot of the newer apartment complexes that have sprung up in the past few years around Bangkok, the bedroom and living room have plenty of room to spread out, store your luggage and relax and it has a bright and sunny feel to the place.
They have thoughtfully supplied a high quality TV with a dedicated Netflix account which was very much appreciated. And, one thing that many Airbnb hosts seem to neglect, there are table-top side lamps, both in the bedroom and the loungeroom, excellent and so much better than having to sit under bright overhead lights at night.
There's a pretty standard but serviceable kitchen, one saucepan, one frypan and a mismatched jumble of old plates, bowls and cutlery, there's no tea-towels, nothing matches and it all feels a bit second hand but you can make do and get by. There's a big refrigerator, a microwave and a modern washing machine and dryer as well.
It's only a small and quiet eight story complex and has a gym and pool on the top floor, the gym is pretty run down but we used it daily, the pool we avoided, there's no enticement to use the area, with no shade and no comfortable seating, we were not the only ones to avoid using it, over a two week period we saw nobody at the pool.
It's hard to know how to describe the bathroom, on the one hand it's big, with a bit of a walk through section with good storage space for clothes, on the other hand the shower is one of the worst we've had in nearly four years of constant Airbnb stays. Suspended above a bath there's no shower screen and water sprays all over the bathroom which is one problem, the other is there's no sweet spot for the temperature, like Goldilocks' porridge it's either too hot or too cold.
The whole bathroom is a very odd design, there's plenty of room to have both a bath and a separate shower, but instead there is just a hand held shower in the bath, the entire area feels like it needs updating and bringing into the 21st century with a bit of renovation.
We stayed for a two week period in Gaetan's Sukhumvit apartment and despite the bathroom issues would recommend it for your next short stay in Bangkok.